Anaerobic waste water purification tower

Abstract

The invention relates to an anaerobic waste water purification tower ( 21 ) comprising a sludge reactor ( 22 ) with a waste water inlet zone ( 23 ), an active zone ( 24 ), a first set ( 25 ) of three phase separating means for separating sludge, gas and water, comprising at least one layer of adjacent gas hoods ( 26 ) connected to a gas collector tank ( 27 ) positioned above the reactor ( 22 ), and a clean water effluent outlet ( 31 ), wherein the gas hoods ( 26 ) are hooded lamellas for improving the separation of gas, sludge and water.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. Anaerobic waste water purification tower comprising a sludge reactor with, from bottom to top:
 a waste water inlet zone, 
 an active zone, 
 a first set of three phase separating means for separating sludge, gas and water, comprising at least two layers of adjacent gas hoods connected to a gas collector tank positioned above the reactor, and 
 a clean water effluent outlet, 
 
       characterized in that the gas hoods are hooded lamellas for improving the separation of gas, sludge and water characterized in that the layers of hooded lamellas are oriented in opposite directions. 
     
     
       2. The waste water purification tower according to  claim 1 , wherein the gas hoods and the gas collector tank are connected by a riser, a downer being provided for recycling water from the gas collector tank to the active zone. 
     
     
       3. The waste water purification tower according to  claim 1 , wherein means are provided between each gas hood and the gas collector tank for maintaining a gas buffer in said each gas hood. 
     
     
       4. The waste water purification tower according to  claim 1 , further comprising above the first set of three phase separating means:
 a polishing zone, 
 a second set of three phase separating means comprising at least one layer of gas hoods connected at one end to the gas collector tank positioned above the reactor. 
 
     
     
       5. The waste water purification tower according to  claim 4 , wherein there are fewer layers of gas hoods in the second set than in the first set of three phase separating means. 
     
     
       6. The waste water purification tower according to  claim 4 , wherein the second set of three phase separating means has an upper layer of hooded lamellas which is sealed to a side wall of the reactor. 
     
     
       7. The waste water purification tower according to  claim 1 , wherein a bottom of the reactor is accordion shaped. 
     
     
       8. The waste water purification tower according to  claim 7 , wherein the bottom of the reactor is arranged with folds forming alternating crests and vales, and perforated waste water inlets means extending above and along the vales to enhance resuspension of granular sludge. 
     
     
       9. The waste water purification tower according to  claim 8 , wherein the vales are equipped with means to remove settled solid materials from the reactor. 
     
     
       10. The waste water purification tower according to  claim 2 , wherein a lowest extremity of the downer is arranged to impart a determined direction to a flow of down-coming water from the gas collector tank to enhance a resuspension of granular sludge.